Interlude
by Starr Bryte
Summary: Gloria misses Mumble more than she thought at first, and through her songs she strives to reach him through the cold and lonely winter as he sits in captivity and slowly goes insane.


"...Midnight... Creeps so slowly... Over those... who need more than they... Get... Daylight deals a... Bad hand... To a Penguine... Who has placed too many... Bets..."

"...Gloria..." The voice of Lucielle, one of the other females, shook her out of her daze.

"I'm sorry... Did I wake you?" Gloria asked guiltily. Luci sighed and shook her head. Gloria had never been the same after HappyFeet dissappeared, off in search of Aliens and other such nonsense. Gloria had refused to join in the mating season after that, choosing to spend her time alone with the old guru, Lovelace. The joy had left her songs and her heart. At least she still had a song, unlike Memphis who had stopped singing altogether.

"You should get some sleep. Tommorrow's another day of fishing."

"For what, huh? Tell me that, Luci. Fishing in an empty ocean." Gloria snapped bitterly.

"Some of the others are thinking about spreading out in a grid pattern. We should find something."

"_...Here, Gloria... I caught it just for you..."_

"Gloria."

"Huh?" Gloria gasped. Luci rolled her eyes.

"You need to pay attention. If you don't who knows what'll happen."

"No one would miss me..."

"Gloria!" Luci gasped, "That's not true and you know it!"

"Of course it's true!" Gloria whispered harshly, "Mumble was right. Without my voice I would be just like him. An outcast. Alone. Rejected. All I have I got because of my voice... How shallow..."

"Well, how would Mumble know about popularity? He's never been popular at single day of his life!"

"That's not true!" Gloria defended, "He has friends. Those other Penguins. They like him simply because he is!"

"And you've seen how weird they are!" Luci grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Not weird. Just different." Gloria said, "I've talked to Lovelace. They don't live on the Ice like we do. They live on Land. They have a whole other culture. They sing. But they also dance. You've seen it." She turned to poke Luci teasingly, "I've seen you. Dancing with those short guys. You thought Ramon was cute."

"He's got charisma." Luci muttered, dipping her beak in embarresment, "It doesn't mean anything. They're still just weird foreigners."

Gloria sighed and stared into the water. The moon was high and she could see her reflection clearly.

"The... Mirror stares... You in the face... Saying-"

"Please, Gloria... You're going to make me cry. Can't you sing something happier?"

"I can't... Nothing makes me want to sing happy anymore."

"Well if you had simply picked someone during the Season you wouldn't be this frustrated and alone." Luci said, ruffling her feathers aggitatedly, "You know how much Seymour loved you."

"His Heartsong didn't reach me." Gloria said, "None of them did... Only one..." She smiled, brokenly, "You know... The clearest, most beautiful Heartsong I've ever heard was from him... And he didn't even have to sing at all..."

"HappyFeet? He couldn't hold a tune to save his life."

"But the sound of this feet hitting the ice. The pattern of sound and rhythm. It made me want to move. I never felt that way before. I never wanted to sing so badly in my life. And he made me sing. It... Felt so wonderful to sing with him. Like I could actually fly..." Gloria smiled at the memory and began to hum lightly, "Fly me to the moon... And let me play among the stars... Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars..."

"Well then..." Luci said abruptly, as if embarressed, "For your sake... I hope he does find Aliens... Then he'll come back and things will be like they were before... And then I won't have to have to keep making you eat. You're getting too thin. What would Mumble say?"

"He wouldn't say anything... He'd go out and get me fish himself... Simply because he wanted to..."

"Sweet 'Guin, Gloria... You're gone on that Mumble aren't you?" Luci asked incredulously.

"Stranger things hae happened, Luci..." Gloria said, smiling vaguely.

"Well then, sing girl! Maybe he'll actually hear you wherever he is!" Luci said. And Gloria did, streatching her voice with all her hearts, hoping and praying that somewhere he could hear her.

"...In other words, hold my hand... In other words... Darling kiss me... Fill my heart with song and let me sing forever more... You're the one I long for all I worship and adore... In other words... Please be true... In other words... I love you..."

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Far away from the Ice and the cold of Antarctica. In a small, cramped cage at the Miami zoo, Mumble HappyFeet shook himself awake. His heart ached with a sudden pain he hadn't felt in months. But he was so far gone in the haze of captivity that there was nothing he could do about. Lethargy had settled into his bones and refused to go away. For a vague moment a question plagued him. What was he doing here? What was happening? There was... Something... Something he needed to be doing... But no... He was safe. And sleepy. Looking down at his reflection something tickled his brain. Words. Familiar words. A song he had heard long ago and worlds away.

"The... Mirror stares... You in... The face..." He muttered softly, swaying, "...Saying uh-uh... Baby, it don't work...You say... Your prayers... But you don't care... You say your prayers... But you don't care... Dance... Boogie wonderland..."

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Midnight creeps so slowly/ Fly me to the moon  
Over those/ And let me play among the stars  
Who need more than they get/ Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars  
Daylight deals a bad hand/ In other words  
To a Penguin/ Hold my hand  
Who has placed too many bets/ In other words

The mirror stares you in the face/ Darling kiss me  
Saying uh-uh  
Baby, it don't work/ Fill my heart with song

You say your prayers/ And let me sing forever more  
But you don't care/ You are all I long for  
You say your prayers/ All I worship and adore  
'Though you don't care/ In other words

Dance/ Please be true  
Boogie Wonderland/ In other words

I love you


End file.
